


Honeybee

by khazadspoon



Series: Swing Whilst You're Winning [7]
Category: DCU, Justice League & Justice League Unlimited (Cartoons), Justice League International (Comics)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Gen, M/M, Swing au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-29
Updated: 2014-04-29
Packaged: 2018-01-21 06:24:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,168
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1540898
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/khazadspoon/pseuds/khazadspoon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ted and Booster perform a slow and intimate duet for a small audience in an impromptu session at the club. Ted may or may not be in love with his best friend.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Honeybee

**Author's Note:**

> Written after my lovely bibliofilariidae sent a link to me with the song "Honeybee" by Steam Powered Giraffe and we decided it was too adorable not to write something for. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ojYK6CW8gdw)

Ted picked up his guitar, the strap over his shoulder, and strummed once to check the strings.

“Uh, well this one is just something I heard the other day that I thought- well, it’s just a good song. Booster’s gonna help me do it justice,” he smiled at the small group of people, mainly just friends of theirs. Tora waved from the back with a grin, joined by Bea, and Ted couldn’t help but grin back. Bruce gave them a clipped nod while trying to ignore Guy’s incessant poking. “So let’s do this.”

He turned to Booster and nodded, strumming the first few notes. The blond sang the first few notes with his eyes closed and Ted felt his pulse flutter. He may have chosen the song for a reason, but he’d never tell anyone that. Then Booster sang the first verse, his eyes flickering open and landing on Ted for just a few seconds.

_“You didn't have to look my way._  
 _Your eyes still haunt me to this day._  
 _But you did,_  
 _Yes, you did._

_You didn't have to say my name_  
 _Ignite my circuits and start a flame_  
 _But you did.”_  
  
The blond smiled around the words, rocking gently from side to side on his chair. Ted took a breath to join in with the harmony. He genuinely enjoyed singing, though his voice wasn’t as pure as Booster’s, but the more husky tone he provided made Booster’s come through all that more beautifully. 

 _“Oh, Turpentine erase me whole,_ __  
(Cause) (I) don't want to live my life alone.  
(Well) (I) was waiting for you all my life.  
Oh.. Oh.. Oh..  
Why.. Ah.. I..”  
  
Their eyes met as the words fractured, smiling fondly at one another. Ted’s cheeks got warm and he was _sure_ he must have been bright red, but Booster was smiling at him bright as the sun and he couldn’t bring himself to care. His fingers moved over the strings with ease, forming the chords and strumming the notes to a tune he’d been captured by on his way to see Booster the other day. 

He paused the strumming, waiting for Booster’s cue as the tone changed. The blond looked away for a moment down to the ground and grinned.

 _“Set me free, my-_ __  
Honeybee.  
Ho-neybee.”  
  
The blond tipped his head back as he sang the pet name, one he’d taken to calling Ted over the few days they had practiced the song. Ted sang the harmony of the last line in the chorus, gazing at Booster with a soft smile. He was more than a little in love with the blond, probably more than he should be, but with the soft smile he got in return he started to think he might actually have a _chance_ with him. 

_“You didn't have to smile at me,_  
 _Your grin's the sweetest that I've ever seen._  
 _But you did._  
 _Yes, you did._  
 _You didn't have to offer your hand,_  
 _'Cause since I've kissed it I am at your command._  
 _But you did.”_

Booster’s voice gained power, projecting a little further, and he tapped at Ted’s chin on the second line. Ted almost lost his rhythm. But he kept it, fighting back the bark of laughter that formed in his throat.

 _“Oh, Turpentine erase me whole,_  
 _(Cause) (I) don't want to live my life alone._  
 _(Well) (I) was waiting for you all my life,_  
 _Oh.. Oh.. Oh.._  
 _Why.. Ah.. I.._  
  
 _Set me free, my-_  
 _Honeybee._  
 _Honeybee.”_  
  
As Ted sang with him, Booster began to lean into the brunet with his eyes closed. His foot tapped along in time with Ted’s as the song progressed. Looking out into the audience for a moment, Ted noticed the Dibny’s swaying together with goofy smiles, the Free’s doing something similar except for Barda having her arms over her husband’s shoulders. Bruce had his eyes closed, lost in the melody. He felt a flush of pride at that, Bruce was a hard man to impress. 

He took a deep breath to take over for the next part, letting Booster’s soft tones guide his deeper ones. The blond looked at him and nodded, the smile falling from his lips as their eyes met. 

 _“Hello, goodbye, 'twas nice to know you,_ __  
How I find myself without you,  
That I'll never know (That I'll never know)  
I let myself go (I let myself go)  
  
Hello, goodbye, I'm rather crazy,  
And I never thought I was crazy,  
But what do I know? (But what do I know?)  
I let myself go (I let myself go)”  
  
Ted wished they’d practiced more; not because they _needed_ to, he and Booster had a natural rhythm he couldn’t quite put his finger on. He wanted more practice time just to spend time with the blond, to try and somehow transmute exactly how he was feeling into the song in private. 

But they were performing now. 

Booster nodded to him to pause the guitar, switching back to the lead vocal, and bumped their knees together gently while being mindful of the guitar.

_“Ooh,_  
 _Honeybee,_  
 _Honeybee._  
  
 _(Honeybee)_  
 _Hello, goodbye, 'twas nice to know you,_  
 _How I find myself without you,_  
 _That I'll never know,_  
 _(Honeybee)_  
 _I let myself go._  
  
 _Hello, goodbye, I'm rather crazy._  
 _And I never thought I was crazy,_  
 _But what do I know? (But what do I know)_  
 _I let myself go (I let myself go).”_

They finished the song slowly, gazing at one another. Ted didn’t want to look away even as the last note dwindled between them.

Applause brought them out of their shared moment, Ted’s cheeks flamingas Guy whooped at them and looked as though he was trying to climb John’s shoulders. They smiled at the small audience and Ted felt Booster’s hand on his shoulder, the warmth of it seeping through his muscles even through his jumper and shirt.

"So, how’d we do?” Booster asked, his hand still firmly placed on Ted’s shoulder.

“Wonderfully, I don’t know why you don’t play more often,” Diana said with a smile.

Bruce nodded in agreement. “I’m sure they could fit you a few sets in if you asked. You’ve both got the talent for it.”

“Um,” the blond looked at Ted, uncertainty on his face. “I don’t know; we really like doing the bar work. Or… well _I_ do at least.”

“I don’t really play for audiences,” Ted agreed, pushing their knees closer together so he could feel more of Booster’s warmth.

Guy snorted and circled around the back, stopping between Bea and Tora. “Well that’s the public’s loss. But the less competition _we_ have, the better.”

Booster chuckled under his breath, his hand rubbing small circles into Ted’s back, and turned to face him. “We’re fine on our own, right Ted?” He asked. Ted nodded, his own goofy grin coming back tenfold as his heart thudded in his chest.

“Damn right we are.”

Booster grinned at him, wide and wonderful, and even if they weren't strictly speaking together it still felt good to sing love songs to him.


End file.
